Recently, I’ve been reading Scott Ferkovich’s Motor City Champs: Mickey Cochrane and the 1934-1935 Detroit Tigers. It’s an interesting read, by the way. As you might expect, there’s a great deal written about Hall of Famer Charlie Gehringer. Knowledgable baseball fans know Gehringer, but because of his quiet demeanor, he always…
In baseball history, how many pitchers have led their league in strikeouts seven or more times? I’m sure those more in tune with baseball history might immediately think of Walter Johnson, Lefty Grove, and Bob Feller. Those who first took in the game in the 1960s and 1970s, would think…
Tony Conigliaro was the Bryce Harper of the 1960s. When Jack Hamilton died in February, baseball saw the conclusion to one of its most tragic events. On August 18, 1967, a Hamilton fastball struck Tony Conigliaro on his left cheek, dislocating his jaw, damaging his left retina, and fracturing his…
Here’s a little Christmas gift for all of you…Rickey Henderson. Not only was he the greatest leadoff hitter in MLB history, he was also the greatest player born on Christmas Day. I hope everyone in the APBA community has a wonderful Christmas with their families and friends. Be sure to…
When Harold Baines was recently elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, I saw several comments that the bar for the Hall is being lowered. Well, though I love the Hall of Fame with all its flaws, I must say it was lowered decades ago. The year 1954 was one…
My first memories of Joe Garagiola are from NBC’s Saturday Game of the Week in the 1980s. At the time, Garagiola frequently teamed with Bob Costas, but on certain occasions, he’d be paired with Vin Scully. I recall Joe and Vin calling the 1983 All-Star Game from Comiskey Park when…
Adrian Beltre reminds me that baseball is like Shakespeare’s Seven Ages of Man, and it has a subtle way of making you feel the passage of time. When you first discover the game, you’re a child and the players seem like stars dropped from the heavens. As you reach school…
Joe Mauer was a modern day Mickey Cochrane. I urge you to compare the two and see their similarities. In 2024, Mauer will debut on the Baseball Hall of Fame ballot. Though I’m not sure if Mauer will be a first-ballot selection, I’m confident he will one day see his plaque…
Primarily as a catcher, Ted Simmons had a career WAR of 50.3. That’s better than at least fifteen Baseball Hall of Famers, including Orlando Cepeda, Tony Lazzeri, Larry Doby, Ralph Kiner, Sandy Koufax, Dave Bancroft, Bob Lemon, Johnny Evers, Nellie Fox, Earl Averill, Jim Rice, Buck Ewing, Chief Bender,…
There is a solid argument for Gene Tenace to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. However, we’re more likely to see Shoeless Joe Jackson and Pete Rose inducted in the same year than Tenace gets a plaque in Cooperstown. If for no other reason than his actual…